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Raspberries

Greatest (Capitol)

The Inside/Out Tour
Produced by the Charenton Theatre Company June 16-18 at the Oakley Party Center, 2177 Lee Road,
Cleveland Heights, and June 23-25 at
Café Limbo, 12706 Larchmere Boulevard; 216-990-2665

Sparked by their 2004 reunion, this Raspberries compilation presents 20 tunes that continue to stick after more than 30 years. The third Raspberries collection in a decade and a half, its main selling point is the usual: remastering.

The Raspberries' determination and range made them special. Even if Carmen overextended himself on such "pocket-symphony" tunes (the term is Brian Wilson's) as "I Can Remember" and "I Don't Know What I Want," his reach was exciting. Experts at rock convention, the Raspberries crafted music that narrowly avoided cliché. They are a second-generation pop group whose music continues to evoke the notion of summer on the North Coast, when warmth and Cleveland briefly coexist.